Topher's new toy
by wren10514
Summary: Lawrence Dominic is Jack Vasser under cover, cover threatened by the sudden appearance of his brother. Luckily Dan has something shiny to keep Topher distracted.


AN - I can't believe there aren't more Journeyman crossovers. I may have to remedy this. I miss that show...

----x----

Jack's first thought when the security alarm went off in Topher's lab was that Alpha was back somehow. Ever since he had left, cutting down everyone around him, Jack had been waiting for him to come back. Alpha hadn't gone to that much trouble just to escape. As he ran through the house, gun free of its holster, held low and ready, he hoped he would finally get a chance to bullet between that psycho's eyes.

He pulled up fast went he entered Topher's lab. The security team already had the intruder surrounded, but he wasn't putting up any kind of resistance. Of course he wasn't.

Jack let out a breath with a loud sigh and holstered his weapon.

"False alarm. I can vouch for him." The team started to relax, but only slowly. They had all been jumpy since Alpha, but the last thing he needed was for one of his team to shoot his brother. "Everyone back to your posts. I want a report on how he got in unnoticed by the end of the day."

That gave them something else to focus on even if he knew they would never find an answer. They filed out, some of them with weapons still ready, but at least they weren't pointed at anyone.

Dan let out his own sigh, put his hands down and gave rueful smile. "Am I glad to see you."

"Uh...Larry?" Topher piped up, stepping out from the corner where he had been cowering. "Not that I don't trust you or anything, but do you want to explain how your," he waved his hands at Dan, obviously unfamiliar with the next word, "friend, appeared in my lab?" He put up a finger as Jack opened his mouth to speak. "And I don't mean 'appeared' like ninja stealth, I mean 'appeared' like out of thin air! Care to shine some light on that?"

And that was when Jack got the idea.

"Larry?" Dan asked with a quirk of his eyebrows.

Jack silenced him with a look. The last thing he needed was for Topher to know he was an undercover NSA agent. Topher couldn't keep a secret any more than he could get a date. But then, maybe Dan didn't know about the NSA...

He turned to his brother. "When are you coming from?"

Dan's gaze flicked between him and Topher as if asking if this was really such a good idea.

"Trust me," he insisted.

"2007. I've been tracking this girl..." he looked confused which wasn't too uncommon round here, "but she never seems to remember meeting me."

Jack nodded to himself. That made sense. He didn't get the NSA job till early 2008. Dan wouldn't know he was undercover... And the girl he was tracking had to be Echo. None of their other actives were ever enough trouble to attract someone from 2 years ago.

"Wait," Topher interrupted. "Wait just a second. Are you telling me...Time travel?" He laughed nervously, but with just a hint of hope in his eyes. "That's crazy talk."

Jack just looked at him. "You swap people's brains for a living."

He held up that accusing finger. "I do not swap brains, I," he made some kind of gesture Jack couldn't decipher, "create personality architecture."

"Whatever." He turned to his brother. "Get in the chair."

Dan took a step back. "What? No."

Topher stepped forward eagerly. "So we're going to wipe him? That I get."

"No! We're not going to wipe him!" He popped the holster open on his weapon and held his hand ready over it. "You even think it and you won't have to worry about Alpha coming back."

Topher put his hands up in placation. "O-K! Getting the point here! No wiping: gotcha."

Satisfied Topher wasn't going to try anything he turned back to his brother. "Dan, trust me. You're in 2009 in a place called the Dollhouse. If you're tracking Echo you'll find out what goes on here soon enough." And he didn't trust himself to explain, not if he wanted to keep his cover in front of Topher. "The point is Topher here has the most sophisticated brain mapping equipment in the world. If he can keep his mouth shut," Jack glared at the man in the question until he looked properly cowed, "he could study your brain from scans. Maybe he could find out why you, you know..."

Dan smiled. "Jump around in time?"

Jack shared the smile. "I wouldn't have put it quite like that."

"So let me get this straight," Topher said. "You," he pointed at Dan, "seriously jump through time?" He looked at Jack with wide hopeful eyes. "And you want me to try and work out how? This rocks! Get in the chair." He hurried over to his computers and starting keying in the sequences.

"I'm not sure about this Jack." Dan said as he took a seat and lay back.

Jack squeezed his arm, the confident big brother. "Trust me."

It was hard to watch Dan writhe and grip the chair as Topher ran the scan. The actives were lucky they never had to remember this. As the chair straightened back up he rushed forward to help his brother sit up.

"Oh...Oh wow." Topher giggled. "This," he pressed buttons, "this is amazing. I've never..."

He never finished as he went back to staring raptly at the screen, clicking through the images of Dan's brain.

"And you think he can help?"

Jack nodded. "If anyone can it's Topher. He a genius."

"I heard that!" Topher crowed triumphantly, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

"Is it time for my treatment?"

Echo stood in the doorway gazing at each of them serenly.

"Yes! Yes, a treatment!" Topher ushered Dan out of the chair and gently guided Echo into it.

Dan leaned in close, his voice low as Echo laid back in the chair. "That's the girl I've been tracking. What's wrong with her?"

Jack felt sick just thinking about it. "She's been wiped. She's a blank slate ready for whatever we imprint her with."

"And today," Topher said as he plugged in the wedge. "She's a birthday present. Three day engagement as a thrill-seeking biker chick. Not my type, but, hey, it's his money."

The imprint only took a few seconds. It always amazed Jack that it could be so quick to turn a person into someone else. Echo sat up with a wide smile and a stretch.

"Hey boys, who wants to go for a spin? I've got a kink in my back you wouldn't believe."

"Got a kink alright," Topher mumbled. "Just head out that way," he said to her, "your handler's waiting for you."

"Thanks doll."

She hopped off the chair and met her handler at the door.

Topher shivered. "It always freaks me out when they say that. Hey, you ok?"

Jack followed his gaze to Dan. He'd closed his eyes, his hand to his head.

"You're going back?" Jack grabbed his arm, to keep him in place for just a moment. "Remember: the Dollhouse."

Dan blinked. "I'll remember." He smiled. "See you at dinner."

"Yeah," Jack said with a smile as his brother turned away and stepped through a shining blue light and into 2007.

"Topher!" He waited till he was sure he had Topher's full attention. "If DeWitt hear's about this I'll know who to look for."

Topher made a zipper motion over his lips. "Hey, with this scan you totally earned the favour. Seriously? This is going to revolutionise the way we think about the capabilities of the brain."

"I don't care. Just fix my brother."

He stalked out of the office. Topher wondered whether it was worth telling him that Laurence Dominic didn't have any siblings. He shrugged. This scan was totally worth keeping his mouth shut for once.


End file.
